William Maruca was quoted in the Part B News article, "MACs: You Can Bill Some Charges On Translation Service — But Follow the Rules." Full text can be found in the April 1, 2015, issue, but a synopsis is noted below.
Part B Medicare providers are required by law to accommodate patients with a translator/interpreter should they ask for one.
In cases where the translation/interpretation service is prolonged (due to strange requests such as Klingon translations), contractors tell Medicare providers there are certain things they can bill for.
However, businesses who are obligated to provide these services should be careful of what they try to charge, according to lawyers and consultants. Since legal interpretations usually favor the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), businesses are often left with the bill.
William Maruca with Fox Rothschild elaborates, saying that the law states that, "a public accommodation may not impose a surcharge on a particular individual with a disability or any group of individuals with disabilities to cover the costs of measures [to accommodate them]." He goes on to say that trying to charge the government usually does not change this.
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